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| Madam Speaker, I move that the bill now be read a second time. The purpose of this bill is to amend the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act to enable parks status to be declared seamlessly and expeditiously upon areas of land held by Aboriginal Land Trust, Parkland Trust or by an Aboriginal landholding corporation that are leased back to the Northern Territory for the purposes of joint management of parks. The Parks and Reserves (Framework for the Future) Act was introduced to this House in November 2003 to resolve outstanding native title and Aboriginal land rights claims over 27 of the Territory’s parks and reserves. To accommodate the new joint management arrangements established by the Parks and Reserves (Framework for the Future) Act, the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act was amended in February 2005 by the inclusion of Part 3 - Joint Management of Certain Parks and Reserves. A further amendment to the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act was passed by this House in September 2007 to enable additional jointly managed parks or reserves that are not scheduled under the Parks and Reserves (Framework for the Future) Act to be included in Part 3 joint management provisions. The legislation has assured a secure future for parks and reserves and has laid the foundation for the development of all class joint management arrangements between the Northern Territory and the traditional owners of those areas. I will take this opportunity to inform the House of the progress and achievements that have been made to date. Following the passing of the Indigenous Affairs Legislation Amendment Bill by the federal parliament in June this year, the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, the Honourable Jenny Macklin, established 13 Aboriginal Land Trusts to hold the title for parks and reserves listed in Schedule 1 of the Parks and Reserves (Framework for the Future) Act. Let me bring to the attention of members that the Commonwealth bill would not have passed through parliament without the support of the Territory’s two representatives in the Upper House – Senator Crossin and Senator Scullion. We thank the Senators for their support of joint management. The passage of the bill allowed the long awaited transfer of titles and lease back arrangements to commence. On 28 October 2008, during the last sittings of this House, the first of the handovers of Aboriginal land occurred. A ceremony at the Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve by minister Macklin handed the title of Devils Marbles and the Davenport Range National Park to the Ayleparrarntenhe and Erlterlapentye Aboriginal Land Trusts respectively. At the same ceremony, members of the land trust signed the lease-back documentation of those parts of the Territory for a period of 99 years, and adjacent areas of the existing Anurrete Aboriginal Land Trust as described in Schedule 5 of the Parks and Reserves (Framework for the Future) Act will soon be added to the Davenport Ranges National Park for a lease to the Northern Territory under the same terms. Notwithstanding the delays in the lease-back arrangements, joint management has been progressing well on the ground. Through planning, employment and training of traditional owners, the joint management plan for the Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve is very well advanced, and public consultation has been completed. The final plan will be tabled in this House for the consideration of members. To demonstrate the cooperative and equitable partnership mandated by the legislation and lease documentation, and now implemented on the ground, let me quote the mission statement for the Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve draft joint management plan which was developed by the Kirda and Kurdungurlu, traditional owners and managers of the area, and Parks and Wildlife Service. They agreed to work as partners, 50:50, straight and true.
Another significant object of joint management is to provide employment and economic development opportunities to traditional owners. The Parks and Wildlife Service recognises the training and work readiness requirements needed for many of the traditional owners, and has developed a suite of employment and training initiatives to cater for these needs. We are also aware of the significant challenges to overcome issues of remoteness and Indigenous disadvantage. Today, I make particular mention of progress and employment of traditional owners in remote regions of the Northern Territory. Parks and Wildlife and traditional owners are making good progress with employment programs in the Victoria River District and Katherine region. Recently, a female joint management trainee ranger graduated to a permanent T1 Ranger position at Gregory National Park. This is a significant achievement, as it is the first female joint management trainee to commence employment with Parks, and the first again a T1 position. This appointment will provide an opportunity for another trainee in the future. Four Wardaman traditional owners in the Katherine River district have been appointed to casual positions to work alongside permanent rangers and, with accredited training, will undertake general park maintenance duties and assist with flora and fauna surveys. Under the flexible employment program, a fencing project on a southern boundary of Gregory National Park will employ traditional owners from that Kalkarindji and Daguragu communities. The Timber Creek based Ngaliwurru-Wuli Aboriginal Association has been awarded a period contract through the Department of Planning and Infrastructure to carry out fencing, park maintenance and construction work in the campgrounds and ranger stations of Gregory and Keep River National Parks. In Central Australia, the flexible employment program has engaged participants from Alice Springs as well as remote communities including Ntaria, Amoonguna, Titjikala, Santa Teresa, Walkabout Bore, Ulpanyali, and residents from outstations serviced by Ingkerreke and Tjuwanpa Resource Centres. Over the past year, these workers have contributed to projects such as prescribed burning, flora and fauna surveys, weed management, fencing and the maintenance of park infrastructure and walking tracks. Today, joint management has resulted in 16 new positions for traditional owners, including permanent ranger positions, trainees and school-based apprentices. The Parks and Wildlife Service intends to further increase the participation of traditional owners in its workforce and, through mentoring and structured training, ensure that these employees have the opportunity to progress through the ranger ranks to park manager positions in the future as their capacity and experience develops. A recent highlight was the award given to Graeme Talbot Junior as the Northern Territory School-based Apprentice of the Year. Graeme is Indigenous and works as a trainee ranger at Fogg Dam. Today, I introduce a further amendment that will implement the full extent of the intended outcomes of the joint management provisions of the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act. The amendment will address a technical and operational issue which has arisen through the lease back of parks and reserves from Aboriginal land and park land trusts. In the case of 13 of the 17 parks and reserves listed in schedules 1 and 2 of the Parks and Reservations (Framework for the Future) Act, the area of land leased back to be a jointly managed park has changed. These changes to the park area have come about through adding areas such as: · former stock routes located with or adjacent to a park; · closed roads; · areas of park previously subjected to Aboriginal and/or native title claims are not able be declared; and · adjacent areas of land, long proposed and agreed for inclusion in the parks. For all intents and purposes, these additional areas have being managed by Parks and Wildlife rangers and, to the general public, would be considered as part of the existing Parks Estate. Some areas which contain principally non-park interests, such as an Aboriginal Community Living Area, public roads and road reserves, corridors for transport, and areas for the supply of utilities were excluded from the grant of title. The consequences of these additions and exclusions are that the parks do not qualify as the same area of land to be re-declared as required by section 24 of the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act. The amendment will now allow the declaration of park status over the entire park area in a single process. Declaration as a park is required prior to the implementation of joint management plans and for the application of park bylaws, which ensure the safe and effective management of the natural and cultural values of the park. The amendment will extend to other parks outside of those scheduled under the Parks and Reserves (Framework for the Future) Act which, consistent with section 23A of the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act, are now able to be managed under these joint management provisions. The bill expedites the process of park declaration for areas of Aboriginal owned land which are leased back to the Northern Territory to be jointly managed national parks. Title to these areas is granted to land trusts on the basis that be leased back as jointly managed parks and reserves. Public consultation will be welcomed during the planning phase in the development of any draft joint management plans, which will be tabled in the House prior to gazettal and adoption. Madam Speaker, I commend this bill to honourable members and table the explanatory statement to accompany the bill. Debate adjourned. |